The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company opened its factory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1849 as the Krug Brewery. When Joseph Schlitz married Krug’s widow in 1858, it became the Schlitz Brewing Company and rapidly expanded. By 1902 it was the largest beer producer in the United States.

Schlitz expanded manufacturing into Florida in 1958 when it built its 300,000 ft.² brewery on 55 acres of the former Hillsborough Army Airfield, a World War II US Army Air Force Base, for $20 million.

Along with the manufacturing facility, the company built the Brown Bottle Hospitality House, a serving room and event space initially large enough to see 200 people. Over the years, even as the brewery’s name changed, it served as a meeting room for many civic organizations and became a favorite of University of South Florida students, especially until the drinking age shifted from 18 to 21 in the 1980s.

In the late 1970s, the company struggled to keep its number-one ranking. There were also some regulatory changes by the FDA that caused them to change their formula and, thus, the taste. It caused a decrease in demand. By 1980, Schlitz had fallen to fourth place as Miller and Pabst took over. That ranking, along with a labor strike in 1981, caused losses that were unrecoverable. The company closed its doors to the Milwaukee brewery, and Anheuser-Busch bought the property. In 1982 the Stroh Brewing Company bought the Schlitz brand, and in 1999 Stroh’s assets were purchased by the Pabst Brewing Company. This property was the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company until 1982, when it became the Stroh Brewing Company, then the Pabst Brewing Company 1982 -1983, the Specialty Brewing Company 1983 – 1987, and back to Stroh’s from 1987 – 2014.

Yuengling Brewery, headquartered in Pennsylvania, purchased the shuttered property in 1999 to help meet its Northeast production needs and begin distribution in the South. In 2013, the company completed the construction of a new brewhouse and increased its production capacity. In 2023, the campus expanded again with the opening of Yuengling’s Draft Haus and Kitchen, offering the company’s lineup of flagship beers and chef-inspired dishes from locally grown ingredients. The new structure offers indoor seating for 300 with an additional 200 seats outside.

Pabst Brewing Company, which still owns the name and is now headquartered in Los Angeles, continues to produce Schlitz beer even though distribution is regional.  

© Chip Weiner. oldtampaphotos.com